Real time: busted the boot on tie rod end at Pitman arm. Can be fixed? All frozen... (1 Viewer)

[e9999]

aaargh....

trying to remove the steering damper. No luck so far. Tried to pop the DS of the damper with a puller but too big. Didn't get a good grip. Then figured that if I take off the relay rod at the Pitman arm I could move the damper to a better position, so tried that. Relay rod TRE did not budge either but the puller slipped and pulled the boot off, squirting grease everywhere. Doesn't look like the boot is actually torn, but rather that it moved out of some engagement position on the Pitman side of the TRE. Can it be put back and refilled? is there a clip of sorts that's supposed to hold it? Dang, and I was using a puller rather than a pickle fork to try and avoid ripping the boot...

Anyway, none of those are moving one bit... sheesh.... Not any further than I was before I started but now with an empty boot....

OK to drive with the boot like that for a while?

 

[cruiserdan]

Boots are not serviced, you need a new end.

 

[Tools R Us]

aaargh..... Doesn't look like the boot is actually torn, but rather that it moved out of some engagement position on the Pitman side of the TRE. Can it be put back and refilled? is there a clip of sorts that's supposed to hold it? Dang, and I was using a puller rather than a pickle fork to try and avoid ripping the boot...

...

If the boot isn't torn it can be reinstalled. There is a wire ring that holds it on, it's like a split key ring, find the end and wind it up off of the boot, put the boot back on and put the ring back on.

 

[e9999]

If the boot isn't torn it can be reinstalled. There is a wire ring that holds it on, it's like a split key ring, find the end and wind it up off of the boot, put the boot back on and put the ring back on.

I'll have a look, after I remove -if humanly possible- the TRE...

OK to drive for a while, you think?

 

[IdahoDoug]

I was going to mention the wire clip thing also, but add a step before reinstalling - jam some grease in there.

I think you might consider dropping both oil pans to get a better angle with a pickle fork, though............






















heh....

DougM

 

[e9999]

pans????? no way!


pickle fork will be last resort...

what's with these torching stories? these guys just incinerate the rubber boots?

 

[Elijah]

I've used the pickle fork on three different 80's to remove the stabilizer and have yet to rip a boot.

 

[Cruiserdrew]

This is a good excuse for new TREs. Slee has a nice kit. I would not drive without the boot, since dirt and grit from the road will ruin the TRE anyway.

It sounds like you were using the wrong puller-the OTC-513241 makes pulling the TREs out of the tapers an easy job, especially when the screw is driven by an impact.

With that said, I've removed a bunch of dampers with nothing but a pickle fork.

 

[MoJ]

Support truck, remove driver's side wheel, turn steering to the right, remove the nut on the damper, whack it once with BF hammer.

 

[e9999]

you guys are good. Pickle fork seems like a rather blunt instrument.

I had a puller on it tight on the Pitman arm and wacked the puller but that didn't help either.

I may try the BFH (with the nut on loose though for thread damage control) some more.

thanks for the p/n Andy, mine is a tad too big and slips off the Pitman. It's a 2 arms one. Bought it just for this on a recommendation, but the conical one is likely better. Mine did OK on the DS of the damper though cuz there is a big plate to hang the puller on.

will keep trying... I have a few knuckles left. I'll figure it out somehow. No biggie. Gotta fix that boot, though, cuz I don't want to have bo buy a TRE just for that. I'll let you guys know if I can get find boots. Chris G. used to have some.



added:

this has been covered before but some of the pics are gone so if that's helpful my puller is similar to this:
http://www.otctools.com/products/detail.php?id=1697
this type works better I think:
http://www.otctools.com/products/detail.php?id=1826

 

[medtro]

I found leaving the puller on the TRE overnight made the job easier. It came off the next day when I touched it

Wrap the TRE with plastic bag or some nice panty so that you can drive around until it is fixed.

 

[e9999]

I found leaving the puller on the TRE overnight made the job easier. It came off the next day when I touched it

Wrap the TRE with plastic bag or some nice panty so that you can drive around until it is fixed.

leaving it on is a great idea. didn't think of that. Maybe with some Kroil too...

yes, I have made a sleeve in case I need to use it right away.

thanks

 

[e9999]

well, I got all the TREs off. Long story... But the moral is: use the OTC 7315. Took all of 30 secs after a couple of hours of various tries with a bunch of gear pullers...

Boot was OK. They are not clipped on the thread side of the ball. Only near the ball. I did take one off my old damper for practice. It is indeed possible to remove the clip and boot pretty easily. Putting it back on however seems difficult. I'm sure that with some patience one could do it, but does not look easy. One of these 4 hands-needed job. In a pinch would be trivial to just wrap a bit of wire around the boot where the groove is. No biggie.


I had better put some more grease in there, I think, lost some when it got squished. On the damper at least, the grease in the boot looks like some sort of vaseline stuff, though, not regular grease. Same in the relay rod TRE apparently.

Anybody knows what kind of grease or goop this it?

added: I just scavenged a bunch of goop from the boot of the old damper and put it in the TRE at the pitman arm. Amazing how good the goop looked after 10 years. Absolutely pristine clean.

Interestingly, the OME damper when bolted tight sits much closer to the relay rod and bracket. May not be possible to use the OTC tool for those. But since there is no boot, a pickle fork might work.

 

[Mickldo]

When I want to lube a TRE I use my grease gun and a grease needle.
I just slip the needle past the edge of the boot at the threaded end of the TRE (the end that isn't held on with the wire clip) before I reinstall the TRE.

IIRC Land Rovers have boots that can be used to replace torn ones on otherwise OK TREs. Just check the diameters of the boots.

 

[e9999]

yes, I was about to buy a needle (lost mine again) when I decided to scavenge the old goop from the damper so I would not mix the greases. I just stuck it in there with a screwdriver.

For what it's worth, the size of the threaded studs on the damper and the relay rod TRE are not the same, the latter being thicker, but the boots look close enough in dimensions that it may be possible to use one of the damper boots for the TRE in an emergency. Save them! I did go to a couple of parts store (NAPA and Carquest) to look for boots before I tackled the job, but they didn't have anything close.